Triple Homicide, Bad Chinese Food

OMG THE HOBBIT IS ACTUALLY FILMING

Thesis

When you're so spring break mentality that you procrastinate writing a blog, you should probably just turn in for the night. Anyway, I won't be testing this thesis tonight - I'm just gonna soldier on through and churn out some based blogging. So, let's roll with this one.

Spring break is over (boo) and the second half of the second semester has begun (boo). Luckily, the second half of the second semester is actually shorter than the first half, and as an added bonus the entire month of April is so crowded with concerts that I won't have time to complain about papers and finals. I'll just be complaining about headbanging-induced neck cramps.

I can deal with that, fam. I can even blog about that.

But first, let's blog about spring break, or:

SBMMXI

That's right y'all, Spring Break 2011! Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me. That means no beach bod pics. No fancy dinner pics. No airplane window pics. No sunset pics!

Instead, I'll provide a rough sketch of my break:

FRI 3/11 thru SUN 3/13

> Screenprinting with Drew: paper-writing for Bioanth: working at DQ: chilling with Andy: packing: catching up on sleep

MON 3/14

> Catch a plane: fly to Berkeley, California: reunite with Ros: Skype Elaine with Ros: eat fabulous fajitas courtesy Alicia: catch some swag ice cream cookie sandwiches with Josephine: jetlag

TUES 3/15

> Solo campaign to Cafe Med for grilled cheese and hot cider: re-reunite with Ros: bro-out and read Cosmo and be best friends: catch some fly Thai with Josephine & Jenna: watch The Bachelor finale with Josephine

WEDS 3/16

> Buy some swag kicks: eat horrible Chinese food: head to San Francisco: investigate hip bookstore: hit up Chinatown for gifts: explore North Beach: catch hefty sandwiches with hella bros: watch The Real World with Carolyn: watch The Woodie Awards without her

THURS 3/17

> Early morning farewells: much reading of The Sound Of The Mountain: return voyage home courtesy of Padre: sleep

FRI 3/18 thru SUN 3/20

> S'all blurred out, fam: some sleep: reunion with the GF: nap mentality: dread of schoolwork: dedication to eating food whenever

I can't really capture the exact good vibes of the Golden Coast, but needless to say, it's undeniable. Final Thoughts: Rain is okay if it's in California, because it'll still be warm. Cities are especially cool when they're carved into hillsides. There's nothing like a great friend. Riding Bay Area Rapid Transit might be the best thing you can do.

Now that I've done that conventional thing and talked about my spring break as if this were some dumb Facebook album, I'm going to get into some real stuff.

IS IT ALT??

Watching the MTVu Woodie Awards was an all-together weird experience. For one, it was hosted by this guy. For two, these horrible adverts for Sun Drop kept playing. For three, the show was like a self-parody of corporate understanding of "the youth."

Not that anyone expected MTV to capture the hipster zeitgeist. It just makes me wonder what the point of the Woodie Awards was. Was it a cash grab? Was it an attempt to hype MTVu? Was it a failed experiment? They obviously do not need to cater to hipsters. The network is doing fine with JShore and Skins. They have the VMAs. All of that. MTV is embraced by a huge viewership, including me. They don't need this weird event.

So why try the "Indie Award Show"? And why do it so poorly? Kanye as Left Field? The Foo Fighters open? Pete Wentz? If, for whatever reason, the Woodie Awards were an actual stab at attaining cultural relevancy with non-mainstream bros, then MTV got it all wrong.

I guess if they were appealing to proto-histers (tweensters? o gud) they probably did a fine job introducing "alt" stuff. But to this self-important blogger, they didn't do a fine job of anything else.

Except spreading the #GOLFWANG hype. That's always "okay."

This is a music blog

In Love With Oblivion [2011; Slumberland]

by Crystal Stilts

This record is so muddy and chill. Like, how The Doors were muddy and chill (so, like a fire-breathing dragon covered in dirt). It's fuzzy and thick and great. Chugging noise-rock. I've listened to the record like four times in a row, and it just makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a baking hot summer. Opener "Sycamore Tree" is jangly and classic. "Alien Rivers" might last forever. "Precarious Stair" has this sort of totally captivating regal detachment to its twinkling and bombastic swag. It's energetic and heavy at the same time. If you miss Women as much as I do, this will maybe sorta not really help relieve that sadness.

This is a book blog

The Sound Of The Mountain [1949-54]

by KAWABATA Yasunari

I don't even know where to begin. Homeboy authored one of my all-time favorite novels (Beauty & Sadness), and this might rival that masterpiece in terms of density and intensity. The frankness with which Kawabata describes old age, family dynamics, and sexuality is arresting and affecting. The prose is packed with haunting imagery. Don't get me started about that snake. Or the No mask. Dang, fam! The dialogue is loaded beyond belief and the characters are incredibly well-developed. The relationship between Shingo and Kikuko is so simple, complicated, difficult, confusing. I just don't have the energy to do this brilliant novel justice. All-together, it's a wholly convincing affair about death, lust, and identity that will drive you deep down inside yourself. If you like devastatingly subtle and poetic renditions of sexually-charged family life, then you'll love this! PS - Dreaming has never so adequately and honestly been captured in writing.

Wait

is it really that late? O GUD

Conclusions

Stay in school! I'll wake up early and do my reading. After finding out that a test I thought was on Tuesday is actually a week away, all work ethic vanished. Anyway, goodnight y'all.

*RARE* NEW BASED GOD VIDEO

My 14th Grade Autobiography

Wanna be friends?

Thesis

When you're here, you're fam. Back home preparing for a trip to Berkeley, I figured I'd write up one last big blog post for y'all. It's to be full of nostalgia and self-deprecation. Is there a better way to cool off after two weeks of grueling midterms? Well, probably - but that's why I'm flying to the Golden Coast.

At any rate, I stumbled across my eighth-grade autobiography (did any of y'all write those?), which is all-too-cleverly titled Up The Beanestalk. Groan. Nothing like a phallic pun to sum up your childhood and adolescence. It's a fine piece of writing, and throughout this post I'm going to try to revisit some of the more exciting passages. This will act as a sort of revised edition.

On the beach, doing my best "Bill face."

Vacations

Given that I'm about to travel on my own for the first time in my life, I think it'd be fitting to open up this post with some thoughts on vacations. In Up The Beanestalk, this chapter is called "Vacations and Other Such Journeys." Seriously. Obviously I was going to have a blog when I grew up.

So - I still generally agree with what I believed back in the days, that "wherever I can go to relax and have a good time, is a good place to go in my opinion." Who wouldn't agree with that? That's exactly why I'm going to California. To relax and have a good time. My 14-year old self was wise beyond his years. But travel is huge to me, such that it makes up most of my childhood memories. Then again, I have a terrible memory. I'll never forget running from alligators in South Carolina, being washed out to sea in Florida, or getting lost in King's Island.

We never flew to any of these beach getaways. Because of that, I've got a hella strong tolerance for extended roadtrips. I live for long drives. And for the ocean. To this day, I'm probably never more chilled out than when I'm reading on the beach. I should join Oprah's Book Club.

I was going to be a hockey star.

With exercise-induced asthma.

Athletics

This wasn't actually a chapter in my original autobiography.

But there were chapters like "Thoughts on Friends and Other Comrades" and "Music and Its Side Effects." Which brings us to the next section of this post.

Christmas '02-'04: Two things remained constant throughout my adolescence -

an obsession with LOTR and an affinity for XL navy blue shirts.

Being A Freak & A Geek

Fam, you couldn't find a better example of a geek. But something was different about me. I had friends (lots of them), and I was extremely cocky. I can't exactly remember if I was just oblivious to the reality of my geekiness, or if I knew and didn't care, or if I knew and was incredibly proud. I think it was the last one.

I strutted my "husky" stuff like I was the coolest kid in the school. I looked down on stuff "all the teenagers" liked, including "The Fast and the Furious and Scary Movie 3," and proclaimed my love of "Dr. Strangelove and Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I decried "the skater and hip-hop movements," and championed "drawing and painting."

Based God help me.

It would seem that I've always been as insufferably self-righteous when it comes to taste as I am now. Still, to give credit where credit is due, my parents somehow managed to raise me to be both proud of my "different" swag and capable of talking to others. I was a huge flirt and pretty much embraced by everyone at school. Or this is how I remember things. Rose-tinted glasses, fam. Speaking of fam:

Bros. In striped sweaters.

Based God bless them for being proud of me.

Sup fam

The coolest brother a geek could ask for, two loving parents that were always around for me, both pairs of grandparents and two great-grandparents to shower me with more affection than I could have possibly deserved, and a friend base that I could rely on for anything. I've been hella blessed to have had the childhood I did. Or, "my family has always made me the best I can be."

I'm still carrying the fire, and remain grateful for everyone surrounding me. I've also somehow managed to find really great friends in college (and most of them bloggers!). My family is still right around the corner when I need them. And something that my younger self only dreamed about (a girlfriend), has become so real to me now.

And if I need to see one of the Most Important People In My Life, she's just a short plane ride away.

Conclusions

For the most part, I'm the same person I was back then. Seriously self-obsessed, geeky, and totally lovable. Thanks for reading, y'all. I'mma go pack.

I'll leave you with a passage from the chapter, "2084: A Look into the Future of Patrick Beane":

The one thing that I could truly see myself doing in the future is write. I would like to become an author, but that is very hard to do and too hard to be successful. But hopefully I will get a job based on writing, perhaps journalism or working somewhere that I could write. My mom is a teacher and, even though it wouldn't be easy, I would not mind doing that either. Teaching would be fun, and I wouldn't mind doing that for a living. I may also do something art related. Drawing is a major hobby of mine, and I would be happy to have a job based on art. I would be happy with several jobs.

Light Rain

It is important for me to admit here on #METASWAG that when

I am stressed I often look through photos of Marion Cotillard.

Thesis
Bicycling is the best thing to do during a stressful midterm week. Well, let's hope so. I was feeling overwhelmed by the study schedule I proposed for myself this week (a study schedule I've managed to stick to fairly well), but decided that it was bogging me down. To reward myself for making it through a rough day, I hopped on my bike and headed downtown.

There, I visited the Monroe County Public Library to check out some novels by KAWABATA Yasunari. I got Snow Country and The Sound Of The Mountain. I intend to read at least one of them over spring break. Homeboy wrote one of my all-time favorite novels, Beauty And Sadness. Here's hoping these two can match the delicate intensity of that masterpiece.

I then went across the road, under some cloudy pink skies that screamed thunderstorm, to TD's CDs & LPs. There, I purchased

This is a music blog
I know I keep saying it isn't. It mostly isn't. Anyway, I bought my first CD in two months (forgive me my trespasses, Music Gods).

Constant Future [Jagjaguwar, 2011]

by Parts & Labor

This seemed like the perfect record to get me back into the physical-media-listening mood. For one, it's by a band signed to a local record label. For two, it's a band that I've not listened to all that much, but in which I have plenty of interest. For three, I hadn't come across a leak yet. So, it seems fitting that I re-enter the local record store patronage scene with this album. I'm glad I did - it's a fun record full of noisy and joyous anthems. Perfect for spring time. Just look at that album cover.

Also, to warn you, I plan on reviewing albums soon, fam. Like, as a summer project. Anyway.

This is a movie blog
I was lying before. I guess this is just an everything blog. Whatever. Allow me to briefly write about an anime I watched this weekend with some friends. Or rather, a cartoon.
New to the blogosphere (but already killing it), is Ted, who posits that referring to Japanese animation as "anime" and not as "cartoons" is totally senseless and vaguely racist. Homeboy has it right, if you ask me. Anyway, he was numbered among the four lucky souls who bore witness to the human miracle that is

Whisper Of The Heart [Studio Ghibli, 1995]

Directed by KONDŌ Yoshifumi

A perfect film. It's a pretty basic coming-of-age story. Despite this, the simple tale (expertly written by Miyazaki) is made almost indescribable, because of the importance and gravity of every shift in the story's trajectory. It begins with Shizuku, a young bookworm, who finds that every book she checks out from the school library has been previously checked out by a certain Seiji Amasawa.

From this humble beginning, a most stunning and human examination of the nature of art, creation, and self is launched with total originality and confidence. The movie opens with Olivia Newton John's performance of "Country Roads, Take Me Home" full in the mix. It's a brash decision that jarringly contrasts with the presentation of urban Tokyo. The song takes on huge thematic and emotional resonance as the film progresses, but to introduce the song itself before any of this significance has been established is a bold move that pays off. The song provides a certain familiarity, but subjects you to an otherworldliness in its juxtaposition with the city.

However, the aestheticization of the city is important in this film. It deromanticizes the countryside, and suggests that the city (read: our actual surroundings) should be as highly-regarded as nature (read: what we retreat to). Let me quickly point out that the city and its suburbs are expertly animated, and demonstrate the true beauty inherent to some of human creation. Because of this attribution of beauty, the romance of city life can provide relief for the characters here, all of whom are balanced and feel totally real. Shizuku's parents are understanding and reasonable, her sister alternately cynical and helpful.

Without spoiling the plot, it should be pointed out that most importantly, the film takes its time. Thanks to the assured direction of Kondō, Whisper Of The Heart meditates on images that stir the memory and emblemize important ideas. Really, the movie does have an agenda. But I can't imagine anyone objecting to the values it supports. They are useful, universal, and simple. Enjoy experiencing Shizuku's growth, and discover important truths about yourself along the way.

Life-changing. The most a film has affected me since Sans Soleil. It inspired a late night bus ride and walk around campus in the rain. Unforgettable, big time.

Cool Thing
That's right fam, I found a cool thing! The cool thing is f.lux software. It's this nifty device that turns your computer screen orange! I know that doesn't sound very cool. Probably because there's more to it than that. The software gradually shifts the colors on your display throughout your day to mimic the path of the sun. That way, when it's dark outside, your laptop screen won't be shooting the same bright blue light in your face that it does during the rest of the day.

Trust me, the initial change from bright blue to a soft orange is a bit jarring. But it's spared my eyes hella strain. Also, it keeps me from that false "awake" feeling I'm prone to when surfing the net in the wee hours of the morn. Now, when it's 2:30 AM, it feels like it. I'm getting more sleep!

I need sleep
because, let's be honest, I haven't entirely kept to my previously-proposed one-hour limit on internet use. I was going strong for a few days, but things sorta fell apart as midterms mounted and I sought fodder for procrastination.

Conclusions
Thanks to this blog (which was hella important for my mentality, believe me you), I can now focus on studying for the next seven hours.

If the nod above wasn't blatant enough, let me here introduce:

Loud & Horrible by Ted
> Stellar blog that promises a weirdly cool mix of based and academic writing on life and culture. Who wouldn't wanna read that? It's like a better #METASWAG.

Get sleep, y'all. May Based God bless you in your studies!